US Navy F/A-18E shot down a SAF SU-22 south of Al-Tabqa. Essentially the SAF jet dropped it's ordnance too close to the SDF, therefore the US claims it has obligations to protect it's allies. On the contrary, the Syrian government claims it was on a mission to target IS in the area. Units loyal to Assad launched an offensive on a SDF-held town at around 4:30 local time causing them to retreat, supposedly this might the reason behind the event.

Those interested on the relative location of the town here are the coordinates: 35°40'57"N 38°41'17"E

A U.S. warplane shot down a Syrian army jet on Sunday in the southern Raqqa countryside with Washington saying the jet had dropped bombs near U.S. backed forces and Damascus saying the plane was downed while flying a mission against Islamic State militants.

A Syrian army statement released on Syrian state television said the plane crashed and the pilot was missing. It said the incident took place on Sunday afternoon near a village called Rasafah.

The "flagrant attack was an attempt to undermine the efforts of the army as the only effective force capable with its allies ... in fighting terrorism across its territory," the Syrian army said.

"This comes at a time when the Syrian army and its allies were making clear advances in fighting the Daesh (Islamic State) terrorist group."

Later the U.S. Central Command issued a statement saying the Syrian plane was downed "in collective self-defense of Coalition-partnered forces," identified as fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near Tabqah.

It said that "pro-Syrian regime forces" had earlier attacked an SDF held town south of Tabqa and wounded a number of fighters and driving them from the town.

Coalition aircraft in a show of force stopped the initial advance. When a Syrian army SU-22 jet later dropped bombs near the U.S. backed forces, it was immediately shot by a U.S. F/A-18E Super Hornet, the statement said.

Before it downed the plane, the coalition had "contacted the its Russian counterparts by telephone via an established "de-confliction line" to de-escalate the situation and stop the firing."

The U.S.-led coalition, which has in recent weeks escalated its aerial bombing campaign in northern Syria and Raqqa province. U.S.-backed forces have encircled the city of Raqqa and captured several districts from the militants.

The Syrian army has also taken territory from retreating Islamic State militants in the western Raqqa countryside and seized back some oil fields and villages that had been under the militants' control for almost three years.

"If I had to take a drug in order to be free, I'm screwed. Freedom exists in the mind, otherwise it doesn't exist."

If Qatar wants to end a recent diplomatic standoff, all it needs to do is comply with 13 demands. That, at least, is according to the four Arab neighbors — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates — that drew up the list and sent it via Kuwaiti mediators on Friday.

The four countries say Qatar must shut down its Doha-based news network Al-Jazeera and its affiliates, sever ties with "terrorist organizations" such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Hezbollah, and immediately close Turkey's military base outside the Qatari capital. Those demands top a list that also includes broader conditions such as reparations payments and closer alignment with the Sunni Arab countries in the Persian Gulf.

Qatar has 10 days to comply. What would happen after that is unclear.

For much of the month, most major trade routes into Qatar have been closed by its neighbors. This includes Saudi Arabia, which occupies the peninsula nation's only overland border, through which it receives roughly 40 percent of its imports. Yet NPR's Peter Kenyon reports that "the impact has been blunted somewhat as Iran and Turkey stepped in to send food and other supplies to Qatar."

Peter notes that these relationships with Iran and Turkey, which have gained strength as Qatar has sought help, might be a sign that the diplomatic pressure could backfire. Even as Qatar's neighbors try to get it to sever ties with these countries, some experts believe the sanctions might actually encourage those relations.

Qatar's government, for its part, is denying the allegations that it funds and harbors terrorists. And it has vowed to reject any demands as long as its neighbors maintain their sanctions.

"It does seem as if this is Saudi Arabia bullying its tiny neighbor and ganging up on it," analyst Greg Barton of Australia's Deakin University told Turkey's state-funded TRT World. Peter says that Barton sees this list of demands as a kind of opening offer.

"So," Barton told TRT World, "it needs to find a way of working with Kuwait and other intermediary powers to find some compromise."

For now the U.S., a major partner of Saudi Arabia, has sent some mixed messages on the diplomatic crisis. Most recently, The Associated Press reports, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had been frustrated at perceived delays in formulating the list of demands — but the wire service notes the U.S. official also warned the demands should be "reasonable and actionable."

I can't imagine the amount of beating the kurds will get if the US leaves the area. Total annihilation is inevitable.

Even the left in Europe, (I mean the real left in Greece) is hating them for being the army of the US. The only left supports their cause is running in Portugal. Let's see how far they will get without their true roots.

I get banned for a week for telling people I 'won't treat them like children', he gets a warning for verbally masturbating over genocide. Remember kids, genocide is fine as long as you don't call each other names.

On July 08 2017 21:00 bardtown wrote:I get banned for a week for telling people I 'won't treat them like children', he gets a warning for verbally masturbating over genocide. Remember kids, genocide is fine as long as you don't call each other names.

On July 08 2017 21:00 bardtown wrote:I get banned for a week for telling people I 'won't treat them like children', he gets a warning for verbally masturbating over genocide. Remember kids, genocide is fine as long as you don't call each other names.